Improving the anti scattering medium interference ability of photoelectric imaging system is always a very challenging and important subject in optics. In scattering media, the image quality is often seriously degraded due to the scattering and absorption effects of small particles and the resulting uneven distribution of intensity or polarization characteristics. Based on the polarization characteristics of atmospheric light, polarization detection can estimate the intensity level and transmittance of atmospheric scattering, and separate the target signal from the interference signal to achieve high-quality imaging. The principle of depolarization based on polarization is first described, and then the latest progress of various polarization imaging systems based on this principle is introduced, such as polarization imaging systems based on polarization difference, Stokes vector and Muller matrix. Finally, the future development of polarization imaging in scattering media is prospected.